


Holiday Food

by shieldivarius



Series: Femslash Yuletide 2014 [9]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas market, F/F, Femslash Yuletide, Fluff, Prompt: Holiday Food
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 20:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5389142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shieldivarius/pseuds/shieldivarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Melinda and Natasha visit a Christmas Market.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holiday Food

**Author's Note:**

> All of the Melinda/Natasha stories in this year's Femslash Yuletide are in the same universe and chronological unless stated otherwise!

A Holiday Market had been set up in Union Square and, presumably intending on trying to boost her holiday spirit—or maybe to try and get her mind off of work altogether—Melinda had suggested she and Natasha spend an evening wandering around it.

Mostly, Natasha found it overly crowded. She saw right through Melinda. Melinda, who didn't want to be here any more than she did, who had brought her along to try and bring her out of the hole she'd apparently fallen into.

Natasha would rather be at the office, pouring over files and trying to work out the Advent Gang's pattern. The problem was, so far there didn't seem to be one. They were working in a tight radius, but that radius seemed to be shifting, moving through the city and—

Melinda stood in front of her with her arms crossed . "You know, if I'm going to go out with you, I'd like it if you were more than just physically present."

Natasha gave her a tight smile. "What if there _is_ a pattern? Something we're missing?"

"Not now," Melinda said. "That's not why we're here."

Melinda was wearing the scarf her mother had bought her, and it was so big and bulky that it poured out of the collar of her coat and swallowed her neck and the bottom of her chin. It was beautiful, and soft—angora and alpaca wools blended together. 

 _Melinda_ was beautiful, with her cheeks slightly red from the cold. Even wearing the unimpressed look she had directed at Natasha right now.

Natasha's stomach fluttered.

"This," Melinda said, and held something out to her, "is why we're here." 

Natasha took it.

A gingerbread cookie. 

Iced like Black Widow.

Natasha rolled her eyes, and bit her own head off. "I get it." She peered at the cookie Melinda was eating—Thor—and raised an eyebrow.

"This is fun," Melinda said between bites, steering them off toward the big Christmas tree in the middle. There was a stage set up near it, and an amateur songstress was doing a jazz rendition of  _Santa Claus is Coming to Town._

They stood watching her, watching the crowd, and enjoying the crispness of the air while the singer cycled through  _Winter Wonderland_ and  _Hark! The Herald Angels Sing._ She was in the middle of  _Last Christmas_ when Natasha spied a drinks booth and tugged on Melinda's arm. 

"I think I see drinkable cranberry cider," she said. At least, she _hoped_ it wasn't more of the batch S.H.I.E.L.D. had confiscated. 

The mulled wine looked safer—and more tempting—when they arrived at the booth, and Natasha bought two, shoving one paper cup into Melinda's hand. 

"This is nice," Natasha said at length. The hot wine was warm in her hands, tendrils of steam ghosting up to spread the warmth to her face. She thought maybe her cheeks were as pink as Melinda's.

It started to snow, the thick clouds overhead finally giving in and the city seemed to grow more hushed as thick, heavy flakes fluttered from the sky. People near the stage were dancing, now, paired off in couples and moving slowly to  _White Christmas_. They glanced at each other at the same time, and Natasha sort of laughed. Part of her was tempted to join in the crowd, to pull Melinda over and show her she did have some holiday spirit. 

 _"May your days be merry and bright,"_ trailed, drawn out from the speakers.

The rest of her, the part of her that was making the flutters in her stomach worse, had no desire to be that public with her affections. She kind of swayed to the music instead, once knocking her hip against Melinda's, who gently nudged her back. 

_"And may all your Christmases be white."_

This one would be, at least. If it didn't all melt by the time Christmas actually rolled around. 

Natasha stared up at the sky. Let the music wash over her, and the closeness of Melinda. This was nice. She felt warm all over, despite the snow, and she didn't think it was from the wine. If this was what this time of year was supposed to be about, she thought maybe she could learn to have some holiday spirit.

Whether that was what their super villains were after, or just a side-effect of facing off against them, maybe Natasha would get something out of this too.

**Author's Note:**

> http://shieldivarius.tumblr.com


End file.
